The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The traditional and available thermopneumatic micropumps must have a driving thin film for driving, and either a check valve or active valve. These traditional micropumps, however, have disadvantages in that manufacturing is difficult and the cost is expensive, since the structure of the micropump is very complicated.
Moreover, most of the conventional systems for both analysis and detection are expensive and very large in size. Plus, the efficiency and convenience of analysis are usually not good since they require a lengthy analysis time and require many samples.
In the chemistry area, for example, analyzing an unknown material must be done at restricted places due to expensive systems and technical know-how, require a long analysis time, and have some risks associated with exposure of harmful materials to the human body. In the meantime, the analysis system using extremely-fine fluid devices such as Lab-on-a-chip and microsynthesized analysis system generally does not require many samples because of miniaturization of the analysis system. Moreover, manpower and analysis time are all reduced mostly because of automatic inspection processes after inserting a sample. Especially, in case of inspecting a dangerous article having toxicity, the analysis system using extremely-fine fluid devices can minimize (or at least reduce) risks or influences caused to both environment and human body. With the conventional inspection system, however, it is impossible to perform a real-time analysis at the right place in the environmental and military areas.
A portable analysis system applying the extremely-fine-fluids devices, however, can analyze samples in real-time after collecting the samples in virtually any place including extremely hazardous natural environments, polluted regions, and even battle fields. Accordingly, the inventor hereof has recognized a need for fluid devices for controlling the flow of extremely-fine-fluid for use in portable analysis systems.